Meaning of dispute In English

• 0 an argument or disagreement, especially an official one between, for example, workers and employers or two countries with a common border:

  • a bitter/long-running dispute

  • a border dispute

  • a pay/legal/trade dispute

  • They have been unable to settle/resolve the dispute over working conditions.

  • The unions are in dispute with management over pay.

  • He is beyond all dispute the finest actor in Hollywood today.

  • I don't think her ability is in dispute - what I question is her attitude.

  • He says it's the best musical equipment you can buy, but I think that's open to dispute.

• 1 to disagree with something that someone says:

  • Few would dispute his status as the finest artist of the period.

  • The circumstances of her death have been hotly disputed.

  • [ + (that) ] I don't dispute (that) his movies are entertaining, but they don't have much depth.

• 2 an argument or disagreement:

  • [ C ] Management and the union are trying to resolve the dispute over working conditions.

  • Her skill is not in dispute (= there is no disagreement about her skill), but she doesn’t produce enough work.

• 3 an argument or disagreement, especially an official one:

  • The judge urged the feuding partners to settle their legal dispute .

  • Staff have been in a long-running pay dispute with the company.

  • An official involved in the dispute said that the attorney has indicated he is likely to agree to the revised terms.

  • He was in dispute with his last company, which had terminated his contract.

  • Workers at the car plant are to stage a fresh strike in a dispute over pay.

  • dispute between/with sb/sth (and sb/sth) The dispute between Brazil and the United States over immigration checks continued.

  • a bitter/long-running dispute

• 4 not yet agreed on or accepted by everyone:

  • Sensitive documents related to personnel that ought to be protected for privacy reasons are the only documents that are in dispute.

  • The facts in this matter are in dispute.

• 5 to disagree with or express doubts about something:

  • Health insurers dispute the doctors' statement that they don't pay enough to make up for the cost of the vaccine.

  • Many in the television industry dispute research findings suggesting negative long-term effects of television violence.